Former Chair of the Gwinnett County Republican Party, State Representative for Georgia House District 102 (Lawrenceville).

July 30, 2014

Watch The Common Core Study Committee Meeting Today At 1:30 PM.

This afternoon at I’ll be attending the first meeting of the House study committee Speaker Ralston appointed me to. We’ll be looking at the Federal role in education, which as you might imagine, will involve looking at the Common Core education standards. I’ve got a lot to learn but I look forward to listening to what Educators, parents, students, and citizens have to say on this very important topic.

Dr. Barge and Dr. Martha Reichrath both spelled the first points out, in great detail, at the beginning. I didn’t budget enough time to hear the other speakers, but Buzz seemed to hang in for the long haul.

Originally there were completely separate. There is a lot of confusion as to what the federal role is right now, with both President Obama’s “endorsement” and Georgia’s use of implementing Common Core as part of our Race to the Top application.

If it weren’t for those two, Common Core wouldn’t be the issue it is today with conservatives. Breaking down truth vs. perception of these elements is essential for it to maintain support. And if it is to remain the voluntary system that it is, then any federal ties must me minimized.

“Although federal Race to the Top grant competition
guidelines did not specifically require states to adopt the
CCSS, evidence suggests that the Mississippi Department
of Education believed that adoption of such standards
would strengthen the state’s application for grant funds.
While not a mandate, the Race to the Top guidelines
contained a clear incentive for states to consider
participating in the raising of K-12 standards in the nation
as a whole. Although the department stated in its grant
application submission its intent to adopt the CCSS, the
U.S. Department of Education did not award Mississippi a
Race to the Top grant.”